The Stray Rocket!
by The Claw
Summary: Citrata from TCG Island is a Team Rocket fan journeying to challenge the Kalos League. Joining forces with Hilda, their antics bring laughter to people and Pokémon alike! Can they keep Team Flare's sinister plans at bay long enough to achieve stardom and find boyfriends?
1. Meet Ash Ketchum!

Welcome to the world of Pokémon! Wonderous creatures, tiny fledgling and mythical giant alike, dot its thriving landscape. Though putting each other's skills to the test in battle is the most popular form of interaction between people and Pokémon, all who love Pokémon work together to pursue their dreams!

Our story begins with... This isn't Pallet Town, it's Vaniville Town! And who's the lost girl we're looking at? Ash is nowhere to be found... Very well, let's join the platinum-haired 18-year-old and watch her adventures unfold!

"Uhhhh..." The girl coughs a little, before sitting up and brushing off grass from her captivating bikini-clad body. "My mouth tastes dry."

What a relief! The star of the show is in good health, otherwise I might be out of a job!

"Krabby! Krabby! Where are you?" Shouts the girl, calling for assistance from a Pokémon commonly found on beaches. "Oh! I think someone's coming!"

Not far from our heroine, a familiar group is about to spot her.

"What's the matter, Pikachu?" A young boy's voice shouts to his beloved yellow Pokémon. "Wait up!"

Hello there! Ash and his friends have been nearby after all! Did I forget to introduce them? Anyway... Ash Ketchum began his ongoing journey in Kanto's Pallet Town, and has faced countless challenges along the way. Currently, he is preparing to take on the Kalos region gyms, accompanied by Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie.

"Pika?" The curious Pikachu glances at our heroine, obviously not recognizing her. "Pikapika!"

"Pikachu? I don't have any use for weak Pokémon, sorry pal." Receving a disinterested reponse makes Pikachu sad.

"Be nice to my Pikachu!" Exclaims Ash with a glare on his face. "Wait a minute, are you with Team Rocket!?"

Apparently, the 'GR' emblem on our heroine's headband resembles the Team Rocket 'R' enough to make Ash suspicious of her. And that's no surprise! Team Rocket is a band of Pokémon thieves!

"I know all about Team Rocket!" The overconfident heroine shouts. "Dark Arbok will take care of you!"

Something very weird is going on here... In our heroine's hand is not a Poké Ball containing the venomous snake Pokémon, but a trading card depicting Arbok!

"What is that!?" Ash looks at the card in confusion, unaware of the Pokemon Trading Card Game. "I thought you were challenging me to a Pokémon battle!"

"On second thought, I was just testing you! Good bye!" Says our heroine as she tries to run away.

Upon noticing our heroine, Clemont unpacks an invention from his large one-armed backpack.

"The future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic gear ON!" The young inventor's catchprase is always a worrying omen, as one can never be certain how reliable his work is. "The Chansey's Egg Team Rocket Catcher will grab her and put her in Chansey's pouch!"

A Chansey-shaped balloon with attached wheels and robotic claws, chases after our heroine, quickly achiving its mission.

"Whatever you are, put me down!" Shouts our heroine as she's set down into the balloon pouch. "This big bouncy toy is a bully!"

"Tell me who you are, and maybe I'll let Clemont release you." Ash makes his intentions clear.

Not again! Smoke is emitting from the overworked machine!

"We've got to get her out of there!" A panicked Clemont declares. "It's about to explode!"

"Pikachu, pop the balloon with Iron Tail!" Ash commands Pikachu to perform one of its special techniques.

Showing off marvelous agility, Pikachu leaps into the air and uses its tail to slice open the fake Chansey! Our heroine then manages to wiggle free before the balloon's machinery bursts!

"Enough already, I'll tell you what you want to know!" The flustered heroine is quick to accept she doesn't stand a chance defeating Pikachu with her bare hands. "My name is Citrata, from TCG Island, and I've been wandering Kalos since I failed the Team Great Rocket admission test on GR Island."

"Who's Team Great Rocket?" Confused, Ash turns to his friend for more information. "Do you know what she's talking about, Clemont?"

"A little. People on the TCG Islands don't train real Pokémon, they trade and battle Pokémon cards." Clemont starts at the basics. "But their way of life is threatened by Team GR, a new group that steals people's cards, and has disrupted the game by introducing Team Rocket-themed cards!"

"Keep her away from Team GR and she might be a keeper!" Still a small child, Bonnie interrupts the conversation to continue her habit of trying to play matchmaker for her brother. "Would you take care of my big brother?"

"Remind me in six years." Though Citrata seems to find Clemont her type, the age difference is too great. "I don't have time to raise kids!"

"So, you're not with Team Rocket?" The skeptical Ash calms down enough to ask.

"Do I look like I care right now?" Citrata responds. "I'm covered in dirt, and you brats won't leave me alone!"

"Sorry." Brought back to reality, Ash sighs. "Maybe Serena can solve this fashion trouble."

"Um, Ash... My clothes aren't going to fit her." Serena clearly misses Ash's point. "She's closer to Jessie's size."

"You've met Jessie!?" Hearing the name cheers up Citrata in no time. "Back on TCG Island, nobody would trade me a lovely 'Here Comes Team Rocket!' card..."

"She's one of the bad guys!" Ash states bluntly. "Team Rocket has tried to take Pikachu so many times! Say... Where DID your clothes go?"

"The bag on my bike!" Citrata looks around to no avail. "I was catching some sun, but it must've went missing after I fell asleep."

"Pi-pika!" Sniffing its tiny nose, Pikachu dashes toward one of the town's houses.

"Slow down, Pikachu!" Ash complains as his friends and Citrata struggle to catch their breath.

If it isn't Serena's humble home! Once a Rhyhorn racer, her mother Grace now lives a peaceful life with the Pokémon.

"Something's going on outside!" Opening the door to check on the scene, Grace spots Pikachu at her feet. "Hi there, are you Ash's little pal?"

"Pika!" Pikachu confirms its identity with a smile.

"I see your friends are right behind you too." Grace is happy to notice the group. "But who's that with them?"

"Citrata. For some reason, Pikachu thinks my missing clothes are in your house." Taking a bit longer glance at Grace, Citrata can't help but flatter her in a potentially embarrassing way. "Hmm, you're much prettier than my mother."

"If the bike and its cargo are yours, it's a good thing you got here." Grace says, giggling at the other comment. "I was going to take them to Officer Jenny later."

Excited to get dressed, our heroine barges into the house and slips into her black shorts. As well as a motorcycle vest bearing a mint leaf logo on the back. Taking further inspiration from her name, the belt is topped off with an orange-shaped buckle. Excuse me if I messed this up, I'm a television narrator!

"Tutturu!" Happily pointing at herself, Citrata shouts this random word. "Rhyhorn's teeth didn't even scratch the bike's paint!"

"Your motto sure is weird..." Ash quips. "It's too cute for Team Rocket."

"Yeah, but it's a lot easier than shouting 'barrel!' wherever I go." Ash and company give Citrata a blank stare, failing to understand the conversation's direction.

Following the awkward moment of silence, Grace takes a closer look at the Rhyhorn outside and makes a shocking declaration.

"This isn't my Pokémon, it has metal skin!" Grace says as she pokes her finger at it. "Eeeek!"

The fake Rhyhorn's eyes light up, and it walks forward to reveal a small pit underneath. Three figures then rise to the surface.

"Hahahaha, the twerps finally noticed us!" The talking Meowth boasts. "We were going to pin stealing Pikachu on poor little Rhyhorn!"

"Why'd we have to hide in such a cramped cave!?" Jessie whines, brushing her long hair. "My hair will get even with you!"

"Team Rocket!" Ash states, frustrated to see his incompetent adversaries yet again. "Haven't I told you enough times, stealing is wrong?"

"Hmph. Hand over Pikachu, or we'll..." Upon noticing Citrata, Jessie cuts off her own sentence. "James, that girl isn't one of the twerps!"

"What do you mean?" A befuddled James asks.

"She's wearing Team GR's emblem, idiot!" The ever-rude Jessie replies with a sneaky grin.

"Ohhh, those guys took our picture and didn't pay us for it!" Struggling to remember something from the past, James pouts. "Are they the ones with the pretty blue fries girl? Or was it red pies? I like the sound of that."

"Blue Eyes is a Pokémon Pincher." Citrata corrects him.

"I'll do more than pinch you if food gets in the way of our mission!" Holding out a folding fan, Jessie threatens to smack him. "Go, Arbok! Grab Pikachu and make it snappy!"

"But Jessie..." James' attempt to tell his partner why that won't work is ignored.

This time, unlike our heroine's futile attempt to call an Arbok, the result is a Poké Ball that sends out Wobbuffet!

"Wobba!" Wobbuffet pats its round head.

"You're hopeless." Citrata shrugs. "Even I know Wobbuffet won't attack first."

"Argh! I forgot we left our old Pokémon with the boss!" Realizing her mistake, Jessie orders James to help her toss Wobbuffet at the 'twerps'. "Help me lift up this thing!"

"I'm not letting you abuse your Pokémon!" The speed of Ash's favorite answer to Team Rocket's plan surprises Citrata. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's red cheeks emit a nasty shock right at Team Rocket, sending them into the sky!

"We're blasting off again!" The humiliated trio utters their catchphrase as they disappear.

"What is this? It seems to be a remote control." Citrata picks up a device left behind by Team Rocket.

"I can't believe Team Rocket forgot their motto." Ignoring our heroine's discovery, Serena points out her own observation.

"That's okay, prepare for Snubbull!" As she goes through a string of poses, Citrata badly scrambles Team Rocket's phrases. "And make it bubble!"

"Cut! Cut!" Ash snaps a clapperboard in front of Citrata's face.

"Stop it, Ash! I wanna hear Citrata sing!" Bonnie objects to the interruption. "Her voice is cute!"

"Have you heard the one about building a snowman?" Citrata asks.

"Look at the time, Rhyhorn will be late for dinner!" To try and distract our heroine's singing session, Grace expresses concern for the missing Pokémon.

"Alright, I'll let you go." Handing the remote control over to Ash, Citrata begins to walk away. "Maybe we can battle Pokémon someday!"

"Okay! Pikachu and I won't be beaten easily!" Ash pats Pikachu, then heads off to search for Rhyhorn. "Take care of yourself!"

Now that Ash and his friends have resumed their own adventure, our heroine is one step closer to the Kalos League! How will she obtain her first Pokémon? Professor Sycamore's lab is a long way away, in beautiful Lumiose City! Stay tuned!


	2. Team Flare and the Over the Hill Hero

Today, our heroine looks especially relaxed! Citrata is covered by a towel, bathing in cool pond water. The blissful moment won't last much longer though! Trouble is brewing nearby, of a nature that will forever shape her destiny!

"Have you gathered up the rocks yet?" A young man dressed in a fiery red uniform asks his subordinate. "The boss expected us back already!"

"No, sir!" The subordinate confirms. "My scanner indicates these are ordinary rocks."

"Bah!" Digging around further, the team leader eventually gives up. "Let's go, this cozy town isn't worth... On second thought..."

The shifty duo watches in awe as our heroine dries herself and gets dressed.

"I know what you're trying to do, you morons!" Citrata tosses a clump of mud at the duo. "But my dashing prince doesn't wear tacky suits!"

"Yuuuuck!" The subordinate spits out some mud. "It tastes like dirt!"

"That's because it IS dirt." As he rubs off his uniform, the young man grabs a Poké Ball. "Team Flare won't stand for this insult! Don't let the girl get away, Growlithe!"

The Team Flare member tosses his Poké Ball onto the ground, revealing the small yet reliable canine Pokémon.

"Grrr..." Growlithe clinches its teeth, unexpectedly at something other than our heroine.

"There's nothing over there, attack her!" The young man commands his Pokémon.

"Growl-ruff!" With impressive agility, Growlithe tackles Citrata to the ground.

"Oshawott, that girl needs help!" A woman's voice can be heard from nearby bushes. "Use your Water Gun!"

The sudden stream of water knocks Growlithe off our heroine's belly, right into the Team Flare subordinate.

"Ooooff!" As she stumbles backward, the subordinate's wig comes loose to reveal rich brown hair.

"You... You're Hilda!" The young man now realizes his supposed ally had been spying on him all along. "Team Plasma warned us about you!"

"Red isn't my color anyway." Hilda cheerfully tosses aside the rest of her disguise. "Are you ready to finish Growlithe, Chespin?"

"Chespin!" The inexperienced grass-type nods, then sends a Razor Leaf swarm at Growlithe.

It's a marvelous finishing blow! Team Flare's Pokémon is down for the count!

"My comrades will hear about this! Really!" Picking up the fainted Growlithe, its trainer scurries away shouting incomprehensibly.

With the coast clear, Oshawott and the hidden woman emerge from their shrubbery to congratulate Hilda. Why, it's Professor Juniper! I wonder what important business has brought Unova's leading Pokémon authority to Kalos?

"How are you feeling, Chespin and Oshawott?" Professor Juniper checks the Pokémon for signs of injury. For one kind, intelligent, AND easy on the eyes, her career keeps her too busy to earn all that many admirers.

"Osh! Oshawott!" The otter-like Oshawott dances a tiny jig to express its satisfaction

"Che..." Chespin however seems concerned about the type disadvantage it had to face. "Chespin?"

"You're still learning the basics." Professor Juniper explains. "A bit more practice, and you'll be ready to join an eager new trainer on their Pokémon journey!"

"Hellooo? It's me Citrata, the finest prospect TCG Island has to offer!" Citrata's exaggeration falls flat on the level-headed professor.

"Ah! Please excuse me for neglecting you." Once she puts her Pokémon back in their Poké Balls, Professor Juniper's attention turns to Citrata. "I'm happy to say the Pokémon are in good health!"

"Professor, do you see those letters on the girl's headband?" Hilda stares at our heroine's 'GR' emblem. "She might be a criminal!"

"Did someone say 'criminal'? Never fear, ladies! Cacnea-Man is here!" A valiant-sounding voice declares.

Is it a Pidgey? No! Cacnea-Man has arrived on the scene, riding his spiky green V8 convertible: the Cacturnemobile!

"Hahaha! I bet mommy left your nightlight on again, mister!" Citrata taunts the costumed oaf. "Superheroes are a superstitious, cowardly lot."

"I'll have you know I was busting up bad guys when..." As Cacnea-Man stuggles to recall his own past, he trips over the outfit's cape. "Owww! I should've worn my glasses this morning!"

When the aging man puts glasses over his mask, a startling metamorphosis occurs and he hugs our heroine. This is no two-bit joke, Citrata has a crime-fighter for a father!

"Cici! I hardly recognized you!" Cacnea-Man's reaction to seeing the 'GR' emblem is much the same as Hilda's. "But I won't let my precious girl turn to crime!"

"Dad, you're embarrassing me!" Citrata gently pushes away her father. "I was rejected from Team GR, remember?"

"Cacnea, shred the awful logo with your Cut attack!" Disregarding that last remark, Cacnea-Man unleashes his faithful partner from its Poké Ball.

After a flurry of swipes from Cacnea's cactus arms, our heroine's face turns red with pain.

"No, Cacnea! Owowowow!" Citrata cringes as her headband gets torn apart.

"Cacnea, return!" The Pokémon's task completed, Cacnea-Man laughs heartily. "Evildoer!

You should go home and stick to newspaper 'help wanted' ads!"

"Is this how parents on TCG Island treat their children!?" Baffled at the scene she's witnessing, Professor Juniper sighs. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, Ash said Team Rocket used to own a Cacnea too."

"Team Rocket dares soil my partner's good name!?" Cacnea-Man asks, raising his arm into the air. "I shall teach them the embracing justice of Leech Seed!"

The not-so-super hero jumps back inside the Cacturnemobile, pressing its gas pedal so fast a murky smoke cloud chokes up Hilda!

"Blech! I'm not letting MY dealership put that stuff in its cars!" Hilda jumps up and down to dispel the stench.

"Chespin! Chespin!" The Pokémon softly nuzzles our heroine's leg.

"What's the matter with you?" Not used to affection from Pokémon, Citrata doesn't know how to respond. "My leg isn't a chew toy!"

"I think it likes you, Citrata." Professor Juniper points out.

"Aw, this'll ruin my tough-gal image..." Citrata complains, as she tries to shake off Chespin.

To lighten the mood, Hilda pats our heroine on the back. That gesture is countered by a pricelessly displeased look!

"If I can't steal Pokémon cards, I'll just steal the spotlight!" Citrata grins as she makes her grand announcement. "Men will fight glorious combat to learn my three sizes!"

"Uh-huh. I wore these shorts to the brightest cities and tallest peaks in all of Unova, do you see any hunks at my side?" Hilda's sarcastic comeback is met with silence.

"Oshawott!" Deciding to take advantage of the moment, Oshawott blows playful bubbles at Chespin. "Ossss!"

"It seems my Pokémon have a lot of energy to spare. How would you two like to battle them?" Professor Juniper asks.

"A live Pokémon battle!?" Startled by the sudden question, Citrata hastily gives Chespin a command. "Chespin, hit Oshawott with Flamethrower!"

"Chespin?" Unable to use Flamethrower, Chespin shakes its head. "Ches! Chespin!"

"Cici, that strategy isn't very effective." The professor begins explaining Pokémon battles in earnest. "Chespin is a grass-type, and they rarely learn fire-type moves."

"It feels good to be called Cici by a nicer person." Citrata's thoughts turn to her parents again. "Dad was never the same once he tried to imitate that kooky Imakuni?"

"I think I've heard of Imakuni? somewhere..." Hilda replies, curious to know more.

"The black-suited Imakuni? is TCG Island's singing, dancing card player!" While over-enthusiastic, Citrata's answer goes right to the point. "Kids think he's a lovable clown, but grown-ups just don't get it. It's said his red copycat lurks on GR Island now."

As the professor's impromptu lecture goes on, our heroine drifts into a snooze! In a moment, we will find out how much Pokémon knowledge she absorbed! The trainers and their Pokémon are lined up, eagerly awaiting the chance to prove themselves!

"Since we have neither a commentator or referee, allow me the honor." Professor Juniper declares. "The battle between Citrata's Chespin and Hilda's Oshawott starts now!"

"Use your head, Oshawott!" Hilda kicks off the action with a basic Headbutt.

"That's too slow!" Citrata boasts. "Jump up and counter it with Vine Whip!"

Amazing! Chespin leaps into the air, then has its vines smack Oshawott from behind!

"It's a powerful direct hit!" The professor announces the obvious. "Can Oshawott turn this situation around?"

"Keep the momentum going, let's try out Leer!" Citrata makes a funny face, hoping to encourage her Pokémon.

"Cheeee!" Chespin's expression unsettles its opponent! Or does it?

"Oshawottttt!" Oshawott says something in response.

"It looks like the Pokémon are at a standstill!" Professor Juniper grabs some Pokémon food from a bag, ready to refresh them after the battle. "Tensions soar as our non-existent crowd anticipates another fierce move!"

"You have an opening, spray Sleep Powder on that runt!" Citrata points at Oshawott. "And make it count!"

"Che-che! Chchche!" A noxious cloud surrounds Chespin, numbing its foe's body.

"Ohsa?" Oshawott hardly gets to utter a word before the proverbial lights go out. "Osh... zzzzz..."

"Don't do this to me, Chespin!" Hilda implores her Pokémon to budge. "I may have been wrecked by the Unova Elite Four, but we're fighting the greenest rookie there is!"

"Elite what?" Unfamiliar with high-level trainers, Citrata doesn't think much of the comment.

"I'll tell you later, after Chespin gets its tail off the ground!" Yet the trainer's efforts are futile, Hilda can only watch in awe as Vine Whip slams Oshawott into the ring of small rocks surrounding the makeshift arena.

"Oshawott is unable to battle, the match goes to Cici and her Chespin!" Professor Juniper delivers the final result in a gym-like manner.

"Aha! I toss a mighty curve ball, don't I?" Ecstatic over this first victory, Citrata spins around while holding Chespin in front of her. "Team GR better watch out for us!"

"Yeah, that last move walloped me!" Despite the match outcome, her opponent's mood has rubbed off on Hilda.

"I didn't know you had such words in you." Citrata jokes. "Well, I should get moving soon. The Kalos League won't thrash themselves either!"

"I have a proposal, Cici." While feeding Chespin and Oshawott, Professor Juniper chimes in. "How about working together with Hilda to investigate Team Flare along the way? It'd be unfair to other trainers if I'm away from Unova too long."

"Mm, I've never bossed around a sidekick before." Citrata's laugh frustrates her friend.

"Let's go, Oshawott." Hilda grabs its Poké Ball from the professor, then walks on ahead. "Cici can tag along if she wants to, at this rate she might not survive Santalune Forest!"

"Wait! You can't chase after her alone!" The professor shouts to stop Citrata from making a reckless mistake. "Some wild Pokémon attack people who enter their territory."

"I'll be okay, yaaaa!" Citrata demonstrates techniques she picked up from her father's superhero training regimen.

"Whoa, put down those feet!" Professor Juniper is slightly rattled by the martial arts. "Chespin learns different fighting-type moves than Blaziken."

"I'm not that ignorant. "Citrata's pop-culture knowledge kicks in. "Blaziken was breathtaking in the hit flick 'Barboach of the Rebellion'!"

"Now isn't the time to discuss movies." As she hands over Chespin's Poké Ball, the professor smiles. "That is, if you still intend to catch up to Hilda!"

Citrata stares in astonishment when Professor Juniper fills her travel bag with additional items! Including rations to keep she and her Pokémon fed, a Kalos region map, and a gym badge storage case. Trainers have an ever-growing variety of merchandise at their disposal!

"Ciao!" While Professor Juniper waves goodbye, Citrata returns Chespin to its Poké Ball and dashes over the horizon toward her goal. "You owe me for leaving early, jerk!"

The next stop for our heroes is Aquacorde Town. Can they set their differences aside long enough to appreciate its shopping center, or the river's romantic moonlight sparkle? We'll find out as the journey continues!


End file.
